Journal of Supercritical Fluids, Vol.142, 22-31, 2018
Fusel oil: Water adsorption and enzymatic synthesis of acetate esters in supercritical CO2
Acetate esters were produced from fusel oil through biocatalysed reactions under supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2) and Lipozyme 435 as catalyst. Low-pressure (P-atm/25 degrees C) and SC-CO2 adsorption with 13X-Na zeolites (15 MPa/40 degrees C) were applied to reduce the initial water of fusel oil. Pressure (10-20 MPa), temperature (40-60 degrees C) and enzyme to substrate molar ratio (3.12-12.50 g/mol OH) were investigated on the reaction conversion (Y, %). Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analyses were carried out to identify chemical alterations. SC-CO2 reduced the initial water approximately 63% comparing to crude fusel oil. 10 MPa, 60 degrees C and 6.25 g/mol OH were the optimum conditions to produce acetate esters from crude oil. These conditions applied for adsorbed fusel oil increased the conversion of isoamyl, isobutyl and ethyl acetates up to 3-fold, 1.1-fold and 1.5-fold, respectively. FT-IR analyses suggested chemical changes in the bands of the reaction products.